WWE News: Why Turning John Cena Heel Is Bad For Business
John Cena is the ultimate babyface. He’s the good guy who anyone can go up to and introduce themselves. Cena is the first one to arrive at a WWE event and the last one to leave. He’s broken records for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and set a precedent for how a WWE superstar is supposed to act in the ring and outside of it. When Hulk Hogan left the WWE, the Rock became a worldwide star. As soon as the Rock left the company, then came along John Cena.
Cena was the standard, and still remains in the highest of light when the WWE is brought up in conversation. Vince McMahon has put a lot of stock in Cena over the past 10 years and it’s paid off in a major way. Without him, there wouldn’t be hustle, loyalty and respect in a gimmick in the WWE. Major feuds that consisted of Cena wouldn’t exist. Consider CM Punk and Edge as two prime examples. Cena helped launch their singles careers.
As the era changes in pop culture, so does the WWE. During the Attitude Era, they were coinciding with how the culture was evolving. Rebellion and attitude were popular, so McMahon kept pace with what was happening around him. It was a genius move, and he’s still doing that. In the end, it all leads back to Cena in today’s WWE. He’s been a solid rock of a gimmick with lapses of judgement and demeanor. Since 2005, Cena stayed consistent. He’s always been that golden babyface.
There were rumors of Cena turning heel during his feud with the Rock, but they pulled the plug on that idea. He should’ve turned heel, but WWE officials didn’t want to turn on the afterburners of a monumental change. Leading into the end of 2016, WWE officials are once again considering such change. According to Forbes.com, the idea of John Cena turning heel soon has been tossed around and WWE officials are considering doing it.
“WWE creative has been talking, more than ever, about a potential John Cena heel turn. As it currently stands there has been ideas floated around that would put John Cena in position to make a turn, similar to that of Hulk Hogan did in WCW in the 90s, but they have been consistently shot down by Vince McMahon.
“WWE creative has also been trying to put together plans for a stable of some sort, but don’t want to introduce a new faction without a long term plan.”
The idea of a new stable can help enhance the WWE product, which could include Cena. So, anything is possible with Vince McMahon at the helm. Either way, turning John Cena heel right now is not a good idea. In fact, it’s bad for business. They have a lack of a huge babyface in the WWE. Roman Reigns isn’t succeeding and Dean Ambrose doesn’t have universal appeal like the West Newbury, Massachusetts-native does.
In a recent article by The Inquisitr, the Cena heel turn rumor was reported. Just over 24 hours later, WWE fans are already beginning to think it’s a bad idea. Would he sell t-shirts, complete Make-A-Wish wishes and bring in the pop culture aura that he does? Cena wouldn’t have a problem maintaining his star power, but he’s doing more TV appearances now and is off filming the second season of his show as this is written.
It just seems that the WWE is making a desperate move at the wrong time to fix ratings. Casual WWE fans are the main demographic that need to keep coming back. Hardcore supporters will always watch. Casual fans don’t always tune in and spend money on tickets to see shows. That’s where the difference lies in the case of Cena. Should he actually turn heel? It would create buzz and a spark that hasn’t been seen since CM Punk’s meteoric rise. Perhaps it’s best for business after all.
[Featured Image by WWE]
